The movement of livestock can now be recorded on Red Meat Industry Services’ traceability platform, making it possible to track an animal’s journey from the farm to the abattoir.

By Carien Kruger, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbouweekblad

With the launch of the second phase of Red Meat Industry Services’ (RMIS) traceability platform on 4 November, the movement of livestock can now be securely shared from existing digital livestock management systems for the first time.

Producers who do not yet use such systems will soon be able to make use of a specially developed app.

For those in the red meat value chain who are hesitant to take part in the traceability platform out of fear that the government might use the data against them, Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen had a clear message at the launch event in Pretoria: “I can assure you, the government has no desire to control your data. I’ve heard a few strange stories within and outside the sector – like the idea that the reason we want such a system is so that Bill Gates can know how many cattle you have on your farm.

“First, I don’t think Bill Gates is particularly interested in how many cows farmer John owns; and second, the data being requested is certainly not for any harmful purpose.

“The best thing about the system is that the data belongs to the industry. It is not stored on a government server.

“Through this partnership, we can access the information we need to fight diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease. It’s clear that the old ways of doing things no longer work. We haven’t won the battle against foot-and-mouth, and we won’t win it unless we adopt a new way of doing things.”

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Steenhuisen added that the traceability system would help the authorities to control animal diseases more effectively and quickly. It would also enable South Africa to approach important international markets with confidence, and demonstrate the country’s commitment to animal health and monitoring.

“I believe this will open the door to many markets that are currently closed to us.”

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RMIS Platform Designed for the Entire Value Chain

RMIS spent 18 months developing a system that now allows the local red meat industry to stand shoulder to shoulder with its international competitors, says CEO Dewald Olivier.

“Today, we want to show you what we’ve done with your money. The platform is designed for the entire livestock value chain.”

The list of livestock management systems already integrated with the traceability platform is available on the RMIS website, and will be updated as more systems are added.

According to RMIS, the second phase of the platform now provides practical solutions to some of the industry’s most persistent challenges:

Traceability at abattoir level: Carcasses can now be traced back to their origin.
Export compliance: Improved data integrity strengthens compliance with export market protocols, supporting South Africa’s market access.
Faster disease response: The platform helps detect outbreaks sooner, allowing the industry to be alerted more quickly about where and how diseases are spreading.

The RMIS’s free mobile app will be available from December. Using it, any registered production unit will be able to record animal movements directly from their international location number (the internationally recognised Global Location Number, or GLN). The app focuses specifically on recording movement data, not production data.